This invention consists of a harness, garment, or an overall designed to be worn by babies or young children which guarantees vertical hold, and point(s) of application of lateral, externally oriented force(s), favoring the acquisition and general learning of the mechanics of walking and other complex movements.
The harness is designed to facilitate the learning process of walking for these children. For older, handicapped children undergoing physiotherapy, it is an aid to mobility. The invention can be used in a number of other situations notably during car journeys acting as a safety aid in case of accident; as an aid to the learning of swimming, crawling, climbing up and down stairs and for learning in safety of skating, skate boarding and skiing.
It is known that when teaching a child to walk at an early age, one usually holds him by the hands or arms. This method of learning presents two drawbacks. In the first instance the stance is tiring for the adult who is guiding the child. Secondly this method does little to develop the child's sense of balance. Furthermore, since the child does not yet have enough strength in his legs, he cannot regulate the weight applied to one leg at the time when he supports all his weight on one foot. The same phenomenon occurs when the child attempts to walk on his own even when holding on to furniture. He is preoccupied in mobilizing his physical strength to stand up and move forward, to avoid falling down and being afraid. Thus, he has little left during his experiments to carry out his own observations, checks and corrections and finally to memorise probative sequences.
Harnesses exist which are made from a structure of interlaced straps held together around the child's chest. Such a structure is attached to a rein which an adult can hold. This type of harness passes beneath the arms of the child thus leaving his hands free. One notices that the position of the center of thrust of these harnesses compared to the center of gravity of the child makes an instrument which is meant for holding children on a rein and not to hold children upright or standing on their feet at the parent's choice.